Shanghai plates - price and advice

[TB-Racing]

....more car plate news.....

Surging license plate prices erode willingness to buy car

Apr 11, 2013

The willingness among locals to buy a car dropped by 12.4 percent in the last quarter due to the surging price for a Shanghai car plate, according to a report released by a local university yesterday.

The report surveyed 1,000 residents aged between 18 and 65, excluding college students, said Xu Guoxiang, director of the research center for applied statistics with Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, which did the survey.

"The rapid rise in plate prices has largely curbed the demand for cars among local consumers," said Xu said.

The "willingness to buy a car" declined to 69 points in the first quarter, compared with 81.4 in the previous quarter.
Thefigure was also the lowest since 2012, the report said.

"In our survey, we have set 100 as a neutral point. If the points exceed 100, it means consumers are confident about buying. As for cars, the result is obviously not optimistic," Xu said.

One local media wag has dubbed Shanghai car plates as "the craziest and most expensive iron sheet in the history."

In March, the average successful bid for a Shanghai car plate soared to nearly 92,000 yuan (US$14,845), almost three times as expensive as the cheapest car on the market.

While car buyers can get a plate from another area much more cheaply, they would be subject to restrictions such as not being able to use elevated roads during the rush hour.

The city government has taken several measures to curb the surging plate prices.

The city will increase the number of car plates at the upcoming monthly auction by 2,000 to 11,000. Other measures will include reserving new car plates for new cars only and limiting sales of second-hand cars with local plates, authorities said.

[Snev313]

Hi all,

thx for all the insight in the SH plate business.... it's a very interesting thread to read for me as I hopefully (with a god portion of luck ;) will pass my DL test on the 18th and buy my first CN motorbike (most likely X5, Shineray)

To be honest I can understand Linda, but also all other comments about congestion, etc.. I'm exactly in the same situation. I could afford the A plate, but on the other side I search as every market participant for my perfect deal.... and can use the +100k RMB for other things...and if this means to f....* the system, like the couples doing in the housing market by divorcing... so may it be and I buy a Suzhou, etc. plate ... as said... not decided yet... I know I'm not making friends with that, but this is the reality... (overheated markets support creativity in getting around the system)

I see also the plate investment aspect... ;) ...but are also unsure where the journey will go and if I loose money in the end, reading all the news about cooling measurements...

I will use the bike to get our of town and can't drive anyway with any bike on the elevated roads (so far my knowledge)... which makes the A plate honestly only interesting as investment and being a nice guy to all other SH plate owners... I guess ;)

When it comes to the day I have finally to decide, I did understand the dealer can deal buying the plate for you, means I don't have to enter the auction myself, correct? (which means I need to find a good dealer...)

[ZMC888]

1) plates are freely available for 100 rmb
2) want to drive inside the congested city? No problem, if you pay a 200 rmb congestion charge for each trip.

My plan might make existing plate owners a little unhappy.

That's what I said! Also profits from that are plowed back into public transport and cycle lanes. Same as London does. Linda buy a bicycle. You don't need a car. I'm sure Linda has 101 BS rationalizations why she needs one 'everyone else does', 'what of it rains?' etc.

[TB-Racing]

here we go again..... didn't they try that in the late 90's...

Out-of-town moped tags may be banned
Shanghai Daily Newspaper
May 4, 2013

THE majority of the city's scooters and mopeds wouldn't be able to legally ride on Shanghai's streets if city legislators approve a local proposal to ban such vehicles that use out-of-town license tags.

Many scooters and mopeds already are illegal because they use fake out-of-town plates.

The measure would make road safety enforcement easier for police by banning hard-to-trace, out-of-town plates even if real. Officials said it would help police eliminate souped-up mopeds that are more powerful and dangerous and often use fake plates to avoid detection.

The move also could affect expats, who often favor scooters and mopeds, police said.

There are more than 2.7 million registered electric mopeds in the city, with an annual growth of 158,000. But more than 3 million have no genuine license tags or out-of-town ones, according to Guo Jianrong, secretary general of the Shanghai Bicycle Industry Association.

"The city will have a easier traffic law enforcement environment after the over-standard mopeds and those with fake plates are removed," said Sun Jianping, director with Shanghai Transport and Port Administration.

Mopeds and scooters, less powerful than motorcycles, are limited to speeds below 20 kilometers per hour and weight of no more than 40 kilograms. They can be modified to boost speeds to 60kph to 70kph.

The vehicles were involved in more than 345,000 traffic violations last year. More than 50 people were killed in nearly 300 moped-related mishaps in 2012.

[Snev313]

Hi all,

If there is another thread for my question please move but I couldn't find. Actually 2 questions:

1) can I get a motorbike A plate at "the monthly auction" in Shanghai or is this car only?
2) if not on the auction, where to find a good dealer who sells plates at reasonable price

I ran last week into a dealer and he wanted insane 130,000... while my colleague just bought his car plate for 100,000 and on the auction price went down to ~86,000 last month...

Hope somebody can help...

[TB-Racing]

1) can I get a motorbike A plate at "the monthly auction" in Shanghai or is this car only?

Hardly, they usually only go around bike dealers, through private sales / transfers and of course the money grabbing second hand plate resellers...

2) if not on the auction, where to find a good dealer who sells plates at reasonable price

Easiest, negotiating a one off deal incl. everything like bike, plate, insurance, tax, handling fees, etc. with a reputable dealer but might be hard for bikes that costs less than the Shanghai A/B plates as the license plates are in high demand, riding season started. Was told by a premium import bike dealership earlier this week that Shanghai A/B plates and rego goes for around 140K these days....

[felix]

Holy. Fuck.

I remember when euphonius first posted details of his registration process, I though he was mental for spending 30+ thousand on a license plate. Now I bet that's the easiest 100 grand he ever made.

[euphonius]

Dear Snev313,

Shanghai has not issued new motorcycle plates at auction (or by any other method) in years. The ONLY plates available are those hanging from the backs of bikes. They become available when a bike reaches its mandatory decommissioning date, and the owner either buys a new bike or sells the plate. Some motorcyclists scrap their bikes just to be able to sell the bike. The worst scenario is if a guy with a bike decides to "upgrade" to a car; it's possible to put a bike plate on a car, but not vice versa. When this happens, the pool of available bike plates shrinks by one.

So as demand for a fixed number of plates continues to rise as the upwardly mobile buy their Harleys and Ducatis and BMWs, the price can ONLY rise. Despite Felix's comment about my brilliant investing, I am not banking on my plate forever rising in value. I can't see Shanghai allowing this situation to continue. Actually, i do hope that they come up with a more rational approach that would allow for an expansion of the number of plates.

Have you considered getting a 沪C plate? Prices are also high and rising, but far lower than the 沪A. If you ride the bike downtown there's a very, very small risk of getting fined 200 rmb. But you'll be completely legal, which is essential these days.

Cheers,
Euphonius

[Snev313]

Have you considered getting a 沪C plate? Prices are also high and rising, but far lower than the 沪A. If you ride the bike downtown there's a very, very small risk of getting fined 200 rmb. But you'll be completely legal, which is essential these days.

Hi Euphonius,

Thx, No I haven't considered this, I rather go then for the cheap cheap version an buy a plate in Hangzhou, Suzhou, etc,...

Cheers,
Snev313

[bikerdoc]

Hi Euphonius, Thx, No I haven't considered this, I rather go then for the cheap cheap version an buy a plate in Hangzhou, Suzhou, etc,... Cheers, Snev313

Keep in mind though there are restrictions (where and when) on out of town plates used in Shanghai. Also be aware of "agents" that handle out of town plates on vehicles used in Shanghai for those residents (locals and foreigners alike) living in Shanghai, as a means to get around the high Shanghai plate prices (for a fee naturally).

From what I understand the vehicles with out of town plates in Shanghai, can complete the mandatory inspection in Shanghai, versus having to return to the city where the plate is issued. I might be factually incorrect here, but I'd just be cautious, since even if vehicles with the out of town plates can complete the requisite inspection there, I'm not sure if this applies equally to motorcycles. You'd best check that out. Any Shanghai-zens care to chime in here?

Bear in mind to that is really important that you get and retain the original fapiao as this will be very useful in the event you want to sell the vehicle on. Don't let the agent retain it no matter what they promise.

About 6 months ago a foreign guy in Shanghai, was trying to sell his "legally" bought Jialing JH600, with out of town plates. He'd done the whole deal through an "agent". The seller didn't have the fapiao so attempting to complete a quick sale was not possible. Long story short, the bike being that it wasn't so old, with out of town plates, via an agent, no fapiao, wasn't able to be sold without retaining the said plate - at least that was what the seller was saying he'd been told, mind you the seller was slightly abrasive and evasive (my opinion). After a bit of back-n-forth, the agent would've been prepared to provide the fapiao for a fee.

There are also rules concerning vehicle ownership, getting approval from a "work unit" to purchase said vehicle - though many foreigners are not aware of this, and it's handled in the paper shuffle usually with the help of assistance, friends, associates and what have you. Different territories (towns, cities, districts, municipalities, provinces) have extra rules and regulations aside from the national rules etc. There are taxation rules tied into a vehicle, so if the vehicle is sold too soon, it might be that additional regulations come into play.

Just be cautious, some "dealers" will tell you anything you want to hear.